Gondola car of the drop-end-gate type



C. W. COURT.

GONDOLA CAR OF THE DROP END GATE TYPE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.24, I918.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 frame 5 I nllllhillllllllllt'l 6 vC. W. COURT.

G ONDOLA CAR OF THE DROP END GATE TYPE. APPLICATlON FILED APR.24. 1918.

1,366,362. I Patented Jan. 25,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE W. COURT, 0! CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB '10 WALTER NEW-YORK, H. Y.

r. may, or

GONDOLA CA3 01? THE DROP-WAT! m3.

Specification of lle tterlfiatent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

Original application filed August 1, 1917, Serial No. 183,877, (now latent llo. 1,288,547, dated June 4, 1918.) Divided and this application filed April 24, 1918. Serial No. 230,896.

the drop end gate type, and the primary ob jects of the invention are to provide a drop end gate of novel construction composed in part of wood and part of steel, together with a novel form of hinge for use in connection with said gate.

The invention consists of the new and improved constructions, arrangements and devices to be hereinafter described and claimed for carrying out the above .stated objects and such other incidental objects as will appear from the following description.

The invention is illustrated, in a preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is an end elevation of the super.- structure of a drop end gondola car showing an end gate constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3' is a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, with the flooring broken away to show one of the hinges of the end gate, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view to illustrate particularly the construction of the hinge, this view showing in full lines the gate in its folded down position and in dotted lines the gate in the upright position.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures of the draweferring to the drawings, the side walls of the car are shown at 10, 10, the end sill at 11, and the floor of the car at 12. Associated with the end sill is a plate 13 which extends across the car from slde to side and is formed with an upstanding flange 14 providing an abutment for the lower edge of the end gate. Secured along the vertical edges of the side walls 10 are angle strips on line 2-2 15, 16 which, besides reinforcin the side walls, provide abutments 17 for t e vertical edges of the end gate.

' he end gate is constructed as follows: 18 1s a sheet of steel having pressed therein a plurality of preferably horizontal corruatlons 19. The edges of the sheet are reinforced by angular reinforcing elements. For example, the verticaledges of the sheet are bent over to form flanges 20 while structural steel elements 21, 22, preferably channel members 'as shown, are riveted to the upper and lower edges of the sheet. Filler strips 23 are arranged in two of the corrugations and to these strips are secured, by bolts 24, a series of boards 25 which are arranged at substantially right angles to the corrugations. 26 are strips for the heads of bolts 24. The boards 25 are cut away at their ends so as to fit within the flanges 27, 28 of the reinforcing elements 21, 22.

- The unitary panel thus formed is extremely strong and rigid, due to the fact that the boards cross the corrugations and because of the other. details of construction just described. The' boards provide a wooden lining for the steel part of the structure which is desirable under some circumstances.

The end gate is hinged to the under frame of the car, preferably to the draft sills 29 by a pair of hinges constructed preferably as follows: 30 is an eye secured to the lower inner edge of the gate, preferably by riveting its extremities to the channel member 22. This eye projects downwardly and inwardly at right angles to the plane of the inner face of the end gate and is engaged by a link 31 with a staple 32 riveted to a plate 33 which lies u on and is secured to the draft sills 29. 0th hinges may be constructed as above described and to make place for them the flooring is cutaway as indicated at 34.

It will be understood that a car of this type is used for two kinds of service. When the gate is in upright position the car is capable of carrying bulk frei ht, such as coal, sand, and the like. By fo ding the gates down on the floor the car is effectively a flat car and may be used for transportation of pipe, rail, structural iron, beams, and other freight of this sort. The nature of the articles transported under these conany suitable means.

adapted to fit into keepers 37 secured to the abutments 17 The latch just described is a device common in this connection.

This application is a division of my c-.

I pending application Serial No. 183,877, filed August 1, 1917, now Patent No. 1,268,547, issued June 4, 1918.

I claim:

1. In a drop end gondola car, the combination with the side walls and underframing of the car, of an end gate for said car comprising a sheet metal panel formed with inwardly pressed corrugations and having its vertical edges bent at right angles to the main portion'of the panel to provide rlgldlfying marginal flanges, an inverted chan-' nel secured to the top marginal fian or said sheet, a channel secured to the ower edge of the gate, abutments for the vertical edges of the gate, and means for hinging the said gate to the underframing of the car, comprising a U-bolt secured to the channel at'the loweredge of the door, a staple form a unitary end gate panel.

secured to the underframing of the car a short distance back of said U-bolt, and a link connecting said U-bolt and staple.

2. In a drop end gate gondola car, the combination with the body of the car, of means on said car body providing. abutments for the edges of the end gate, and an end ate hinged to said body comprising a metal sheet formed with rigidifying corrugations, wooden filler members fitting into and lying lengthwise of said corrugations and means extendin transversely of said filler strips for uniting said strips and to reinforce said metal sheet.

3. In a drop end gate gondola car, the combination with the body of the car, of means on said car body providing abutments for the edges of the end gate, and an 5 end gate hinged to said body comprising a metal sheet formed with rigidifying corrugations, members which fit into certain oi said corrugations, boards which extend transversely of said corrugations and lie against said members,'and means for uniting said filling members and metal sheet to 4. In a drop end gate gondola car, the combination with the body of the car, of means on said car body providing abutments for the edges of the end gate, and an end gate hinged to said body comprising a metal sheet formed with rigidifying corrugations and provided with angularly disposed reinforcing elements at certain of its edges, and a wooden structure secured to said sheet, the edges of which are embraced by said angular reinforcing elements.

5. In a drop end gate gondola car, the combination with the body of the car, of

means on said car body providing abutments for the edges of the end gate, and an 6. In a drop end gate gondola car, the

combination with the body of the car, of means on said car body providing abutments for the edges of the end gate, and an end gate hinged to said body comprising a metal sheet formed with rigidifying corrugations and provided with angularly disposed reinforcing elements at its edges, boards which extend transversely of said corrugations with their extremities engaged with the ad jacent reinforcing elements, and means for uniting said boards and metal sheet to form a unitary end gate panel. Y

7. n a drop end gate gondola car, the combination with the body of the car, of means on said car body providing abutments for the edges of the end gate, and an end gate hinged to said body comprising a metal sheet formed with rigidifying corrugations and with flanges formed at two oppositely disposed edges, rigidifying, channel-shaped elements secured to the other two edges of said sheet, and boards secured to said sheet and extending across said corrugations with their extremities engaged with said channel-shaped reinforcing elements.

8. In a drop end gate gondola car, the

combination with the body of the car, of

filler stripsmeans on said 'car body providing abutments for the edges of the end gate, and an end gate hinged to said body comprising a metal sheet formed with horizontfiy dis posed corrugations and provided with rigidifymg elements at its edges, filler strips in certain of said corru ations, and. lining boards secured to said fi er strips and sheet and disposed transversely of said corrugationswith their extremities engaging cermm of said rigidifying elements.

9. In a drop end gate gondola car, the

combination with the body of the car, of

means on said car body providing abutments for the edges of the end gate, and an end gate hinged to said body comprising a metal 1,soe,aa2. v 3

sheet formed with horizontally dis boards arranged transversely of the corrugations and secured to said sheet and filler strips with their extremities engaging the 10 inner. flanges of said channel shaped reinforcing elements.

CLARENCE W. COURT. 

